The present invention relates to co-delivery of cholesterol lowering drugs with neutraceuticals, and more specifically, to co-encapsulation and co-delivery of cholesterol lowering drugs with coenzyme Q10 and related compounds using nanogel core star polymers as carriers.
A sedentary life style and a diet high in animal protein and fat promote high-cholesterol induced diseases. A common strategy to reduce elevated levels of cholesterol is statin therapy. While statins successfully lower cholesterol levels in the blood stream they also elicit undesirable side effects, such as an inhibition of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10, also referred to herein as CoQ10) biosynthesis and consequently statin cardiomyopathy. The leading strategy to negate this side effect is to supplement the statin therapy with large doses of synthetic CoQ10. While effective, this approach is not free of drawbacks. First, poor bioavailability of CoQ10 significantly lowers the actual levels of the supplement absorbed by the body, and second, a regimen that requires administration of multiple pills several times a day is difficult for patients to adhere to.
Therefore, a need exists for more efficient delivery of both cholesterol lowering drugs and nutraceuticals (such as CoQ10) that are affected by the cholesterol lowering therapy.